The 2018 season has officially started. Pads go on in a couple days and the heat may come back and the competition for starting spots commences.

This Coffman edition has some impressive athletic talent and some real potential to be very good. The disappointment of last years excruciating play-off loss has faded a bit I am sure but won't be forgotten and shouldn't be . Playing to your potential as a program is always the goal , if not getting more out of your players than they would even think they had.

There are some returning starters that will provide leadership and ability along with examples for the younger players to emulate . The best programs not only have the coaches holding their players accountable but also have PLAYERS and leaders on the team hold their teammates accountable. When you have that dynamic you really have something.

If you look at the best 'program in sports you see this dynamic and the leaders always cite this as a reason why they are so consistently successful . Duke basketball and coach K embrace this culture, as do the most successful professional football 'Program" the New England Patriots.

A lot of talk early on as programs get started is some of the top programs getting transfers. The Pickerington's in Co are often talked about as getting a nice handful here and there including swapping players amongst themselves.

My take on this dynamic is that with the information out there so readily available parents see the greener grass and start looking. Kids meet other kids from more successful programs at camps and they start to think some more may be. They see the success of the teams progressing each year in the play-offs and the D-1 kids or the number of kids playing college football after HS and surmise that they have a better chance if they go towards one of these few schools.

They will have better coaching , be coached harder and will play with better players . Some kids may benefit from the change of scenery and thrive while others may play less and not thrive and the best players didn't really have to move to improve their 'Situation'. Kids from certain areas around Columbus will improve their academic and athletic fortunes and levels of achievement by heading to Pickerington Gahanna , Westerville Dublin or Hilliard to name just a few.

I have always thought the best situations from a program standpoint are the ones where academics are rigorous and there is that expectation among it's players not from the coaches really although that is a plus, but rather from the families themselves in the community the teachers at the school and their peers.

A place that understands that Faith family and academics come before sports and other activities . When a family makes the decision to move or have their child change schools I feel that you should be looking at the BIG picture and that includes thinking about the community academic rigor expectations within the school and the culture of academic success .

The academic atmosphere and competitiveness is the MEAT, , the sports programs and other activities are the side dishes and dessert. Faculty and administration at Coffman is outstanding, there is high expectations academically but also great support. there are many schools and districts in Central Ohio that have these dynamics in place and do a great job and obviously I am biased , but if kids are transferring to Coffman I really believe it isn't with football or another sport first in mind , it's because of the community , the level of educational opportunity's , the achievement levels of the kids and the strength of the faculty that is the crux of the matter.

Yes the success of some of the sports programs is a bonus no doubt and interests some moving to the area , BUT I believe it's the culture the facilities , the level of instruction on and off the field and the community that seals the deal for parents who have the wisdom and see the bigger picture.

I think staying in one spot is ideal and developing leadership skills by staying in one community and growing into that role adds a dimension of growth that isn't going to be there if you move around to play with stronger programs a time or two to join a more talented team.

When you see transfers I think in many cases the kids have tried to put themselves in a better position in every respect , with the sport being a few notches down the list

Pre-season polls are formulating and teams and programs are slotted mainly on reputation as it is true that most of the same suspects lead the pack year in and year out.

Some teams are overrated based on the year or two before and their reputations. You can also see short interviews of coaches and a minute or so of action from camp.

Most coaches now use twitter and you can see what their mindsets are and how that shapes their programs. Some coaches engage in the Derek Jeter mode of communicating saying almost nothing as their lips move and others really tell you how they feel and how they think.

Jerome coach Bob Geciwich is really outspoken about the transfer situation that bolsters some already very good programs and helps them to become more super team like. Seniors transferring to programs often in the next city over in order to what? Get a HS ring? In the backsplash of his twitter page is the moniker 'homegrown" with the Jerome colors and weightlifting bar.

It's a smart mantra because Jerome due to it's affluent environs and a paucity of " affordable" is very unlikely to get many if any 'Move in's " and transfers . He sees others including district rival Coffman getting a couple move in's some years , may be not the Rodas Johnson's heading to DeSales may be or Lowery moving back and forth { Is he sleeping in a different bed? lol} to be the trigger man at loaded skill position North , or the stud D-Lineman Johnson also leaving his Lion brothers to join Carter on the PC D-Line ,or the number of kids coming in through Middle school and earlier HS and of course Seniors like these cases.

Coach G has to compete with these teams this year , so understandably he sees the talent disparity which isn't even close to fully explained by the transfers { Demographics community priorities mind set etc. } but he rightfully sees the rich getting a bit richer and it irks some people just like it does in real everyday life.

Brian White Davidson's legendary coach and future hall of famer has also made some remarks about kids and programs taking the 'Easy" way out as he has had kids leave his program and go across town or back where they came from in the first place. Davidson's program and schemes are not for everyone , skill offensive players are not going to move in and just may move out . That's the cost of the way he does business. He sees a softness and an unwillingness of kids wanting to pay the price his loyal players pay and denounces programs as not being as willing to stick things out .

He has a point , but this is 2018 , it doesn't mean you can't run the ball a majority of the time and do things in his fashion , but when kids families near HS and want to get to a better school district like Hilliard and examine everything , this stuff matters. The nature of the program, while successful can limit the development of certain positions on offense including lineman . You don't have to spread things out like many teams do now but i'm not sure at the big school level anyway the run only attitude is optimal anymore.

White has lamented the lack of size speed and talent on his squad recently and over the years . He does it the vane of stressing the importance of doing things very fundamentally sound and precise. They need to work harder and pay more attention to detail. It's been the most successful program in CO while he ahs been there so he knows what he is doing. But will it keep working a the level if has ? Last few years has seen a dip that is unmistakable . As for this years edition? They aren't that small and they have some really strong defensive players with some size strength and run fairly well.

It isn't a loaded all 11 kids are nasty and athletic type group like we see from some of the other top programs but they are going to be experienced on offense returning almost everyone and their defense will be just fine. Tough schedule will have them losing a couple games most likely but I think they make the play-offs especially if they can beat Coffman who they have lost to the last two times and will be locked and loaded for this years game as always after they lose to their rival.

Speaking of Hilliard , Darby coach John Santagarta tweeted that he is getting tired of hearing kids come to him and saying 'I QUIT" and wonders if kids just don't want to endure the grind of football and the amount of work that it takes to do it well and be a successful consistent program .

He as White and Geciwich has a good point but I think his frustration while real isn't productive to the cause of his possibly getting kids to buy in and embrace the process. Times are different no question, football participation is down a bit even here . But the thing is when times change a bit coaches may have to adjust their mind sets even if just slightly. Some universal truths about the sport and the amount of work and discipline it takes to be consistently successful will never change , certain societal things do change and you need to figure out a way to adapt.

Most coaches have been dealing with kids they used to have coming out who no longer consider football for various reasons .

Mike Should break out this season after a lingering leg issues last season where he never was fully healthy after a couple setbacks to the original injury.

Hartley looks athletic and should progress to the same spot as last year and win another game or so? DeSales will be better this year as well though. Good luck to the Hawks and we will see DeSales next week.
Tri-Valley proved me wrong last year , damn impressive run that came up just short , I have to believe they take a step or two back this year?

A very real dynamic is program 'Momentum" of course some programs never really lose momentum all that much but most go through periods where they get it rolling and it stays rolling somewhat downhill for a coupe years .

Now the large D-1 Catholics in general don't lose momentum much as they have built the program to the point where they get a steady influx of talent size and speed with a larger drawing area. The top few publics in general keep momentum for stretches with the help of kids moving into the district whether it's in Middle school or High school. The new rules puts a damper on 'Ring chasing " it seems as kids all want to play when it counts most .

I personally have no problem with kids moving in to great school districts with strong academics as a family big picture decision . Upgrading to a stronger community in terms of academic expectations, support and facilities is always a positive thing no matter if the student is a good athlete or not . You see FA,MILIES make this decision with younger ones in tow and I can't say that many families with athletes aren't better off in Pickerington than an East side Columbus public school or a smaller rural area where the facilities coaching and the strength of the program is less than any of the nearest OCC programs.

Of course getting that quality Catholic education at a Hartely DeSales or Watterson { St Chuck's} et al is often preferable to certain public school experiences for some. Culture is key, fit is key and I do believe Burchfield does have a philosophy of wanting to get the right type of kids in , in 9th grade and indoctrinate them into the culture and program.

Where I disagree with coach Geciwich is being homegrown isn't always a choice. It's a reality that some schools simply for different reasons aren't going to get the move in's and transfers and that some are. It isn't a sinister recruiting thing in many cases but a more trying to better the situation of the kid and or the family. Facilities , coaching , culture and success rate are always noticed of course, kids want to be in a winning program if possible .

I think Burchfield sees a main rival DeSales get some later arrivals and thinks out loud about that situation like he did in that article with Geciwich also featured.

I agree that it can be tough to see rivals pick up kids who are Juniors and Seniors who fill certain needs as if they are professional free agents and your program doesn't have such arrivals and you9 have to go out on Friday night and play them .

In public high school football especially even at the larger schools often there are years you simply don't have any depth in certain position groups and body types . You have a surplus in a couple positions , and a dearth in another . Happens all the time, it isn't college football where you recruit a certain number at every position . I think it is frustrating to see some powerful programs fill in weaknesses with others players at times.

Wayne for instance grabs a left tackle and the McKelvey kid along with Trotwoods Senior QB for instance . Seems unfair , Pick North is loaded on offense but ahs no QB volia they get their Gahanna 'Loaner" back and it's all good as he was once theirs as a frosh? Like a powerful professional club soccer team who loans their younger players to lesser talented teams or teams that have an opening in a certain players position for a couple seasons to get reps because they aren't ready to start for their team yet.

QB'S are a different animal of course, only one of them , tougher to change positions , there is no AAU teams to play for to get on film in game situations . Sometimes you do what you have to do . QB'S often need to go somewhere else to develop certain skills they may need when they want to play at the next level .

The programs with momentum and a run of great success is always going to attract possible move in transfers , or even more corporate moves as Dad or Mom has a great opportunity in Ohio and the kids may be athletes and you go where you think they will thrive most in all areas including athletics.

Nothing inherently wrong about this in general but I think OHASSA did the right thing to curb the later transfers and more mercenary aspects by changing some things, although as is the case with most rules there are ways around them that people will find.

Speaking of 'momentum " I left out one of the main thoughts concerning momentum . Damn the Pickeringtons have it is spades, on the gridiron and on the hardwood don't they ?? WOW, they are rolling with their culture hard work success , their coaching staffs and PLAYERS who are motivated and talented .

I think PC in particular may be overloaded with talent in some classes. Talented kids may have to sit for a while or may never start . That to me is the crux of many great programs though, young kids no matter how talented sometimes just have to wait their turn . North Frosh numbers are low but my guess they may get some newcomers to fill in gaps with more chance for playing time for move in's and certainly some Central kids who may be stuck in the middle of the Central depth chart could wander over. .

Programs that have lost momentum? Davidson in the last couple years but should get some back this season. Darby ? a little bit . Gahanna losing two players like Lowery and Johnson takes them back a step .

Central Crossing had some for a few years and has lost it . Olentangy with the opening of Berlin may be in this mode in the next couple years but they are well coached with an excellent staff who coaches them hard.

Westy Central ? Got some big tie momentum when Drake came in to play QB and kept it for a spell but Magsitro is now with Solis and may be they take a step back as they did last year? Solid talent still but momentum has waned.

Coffman has been steady , unfortunately they haven't had the play-off success running into Wayne a couple times , A great Colerain team in 2015 and last years excruciating defeat to Olentangy than may have cost them at least a regional final appearance vs old rival and revived rival Liberty last year in what I thin would have been a very good if not interesting game.

Speaking of the play offs Mentor certainly has that momentum , a bit of a dip off their hey day the couple years before last , they got it back big time as they are now at the top of the Public school food chain ranked FIRST statewide in a Cleveland poll. Big tests for them early to see if they keep it.

Jerome coach Bob Geciwich is really outspoken about the transfer situation that bolsters some already very good programs and helps them to become more super team like. Seniors transferring to programs often in the next city over in order to what? Get a HS ring? In the backsplash of his twitter page is the moniker 'homegrown" with the Jerome colors and weightlifting bar.

I Love Coach Gecewich and follow him on Twitter. Has that football team Believing Again. Back to Back playoff years! WOW. He uses the bodies he get and get the most out of them. Defines a Good Coach!!

Speaking of 'momentum " I left out one of the main thoughts concerning momentum . Damn the Pickeringtons have it is spades, on the gridiron and on the hardwood don't they ?? WOW, they are rolling with their culture hard work success , their coaching staffs and PLAYERS who are motivated and talented .

I think PC in particular may be overloaded with talent in some classes. Talented kids may have to sit for a while or may never start . That to me is the crux of many great programs though, young kids no matter how talented sometimes just have to wait their turn . North Frosh numbers are low but my guess they may get some newcomers to fill in gaps with more chance for playing time for move in's and certainly some Central kids who may be stuck in the middle of the Central depth chart could wander over. .

Programs that have lost momentum? Davidson in the last couple years but should get some back this season. Darby ? a little bit . Gahanna losing two players like Lowery and Johnson takes them back a step .

Central Crossing had some for a few years and has lost it . Olentangy with the opening of Berlin may be in this mode in the next couple years but they are well coached with an excellent staff who coaches them hard.

Westy Central ? Got some big tie momentum when Drake came in to play QB and kept it for a spell but Magsitro is now with Solis and may be they take a step back as they did last year? Solid talent still but momentum has waned.

Coffman has been steady , unfortunately they haven't had the play-off success running into Wayne a couple times , A great Colerain team in 2015 and last years excruciating defeat to Olentangy than may have cost them at least a regional final appearance vs old rival and revived rival Liberty last year in what I thin would have been a very good if not interesting game.

Speaking of the play offs Mentor certainly has that momentum , a bit of a dip off their hey day the couple years before last , they got it back big time as they are now at the top of the Public school food chain ranked FIRST statewide in a Cleveland poll. Big tests for them early to see if they keep it.

"North Frosh numbers are low but my guess they may get some newcomers to fill in gaps with more chance for playing time for move in's and certainly some Central kids who may be stuck in the middle of the Central depth chart could wander over"

This will not happen. The Pickerington Central Freshman class is pretty much set and the elite players are not going anywhere. That class has good numbers but not so many that they have no chance to play. I don't think the Freshman class at North even had enough players to field a team so they are going to have two JV teams which makes a lot of sense.

The Ridgeview (Central Junior High) 8th grade class is off the charts in both talent and numbers. There have been kids who move into the Ridgeview district to play football and they end up being the 4-5th string player, then they leave or go play for the Columbus Ice.

There seems to be a focused effort to push kids from Ridgeview (Central Junior High) to Lakeview (North Junior High). Ridgeview is not allowing any students to open enroll within the district. However, anyone can open enroll into Lakeview within the district. I think this is mostly due to numbers rather than trying to even out the sports teams. However, Junior High is where your locked into for high school so it is kind of important to get into the right place.

North will get transfers from other districts especially once people find out that their numbers are down for a particular class.

I agree , kids want to play and if they think they have a better chance at North in the next few years that is where some of the Columbus kid and others may transfer to. I have heard a lot of great things about the 8th grade class at Ridgeview , have zero competition or any tough games whatsoever.

Big momentum over there , Picks will be 1 and 2 in CO poll and the gap between them and the next tier is fairly significant right now . How significant is arguable but both squads would be favored comfortably over any opponent not themselves in CO

I don't usually do this but I am going to make a couple lists because I realize most of us love lists and rankings of some sort. And it is early and this is done without a lot of research just re-call first gut thoughts of who i feel the top ten teams in CO will be in D-1.

1} PC - Rolling downhill and they could be beat by PN no question BUT they are Central they have the ATTITUDE the momentum the coaching and confidence . I will say PN strategy should be to get the ball out quickly , if not for Lowery " Going home " PN would be thought of much differently . PC i feel wins a close one but i could be wrong. rematch in play-offs is entirely possible.

2} PN - Some questions on the defense and may be O-line but no question they will be the best pitch and catch team in Co and may be the state . Should be an instant classic vs PC in both Reg season and Post season .

3} R-Burg- R-2 big dog , their year to go a few weeks in the play-offs, a ton of talent that hasn't gone down the road to Pickerington , always a concern for White and Co but this is the year they may lose to both PC and PN but further in the play-offs ?

4} Bradley - up and coming program no doubt , may take over Hilliard going forward. Davidson will be pumped up to stop them no doubt but i like Bradley's strength and size , QB? Questions , have enough back to do some damage and i don't see anyone in their league beating them.

5} Coffman - Not a huge Senior class and not decorated but many good football players, some high end talent in the younger ranks though and a team that has a lot of potential.

6} Orange - Have some talent in a few areas Harrison the biggest X factor which means in a overall Olentangy district rebuild ? they may beat the other two D-1 schools .

7} Davidson - All kinds of guys back I see a bounce back , UA and Liberty may have more talent but most years ? The Cats beat them it seems and with this much experience? Close wins?

8} UA - Coin flip with Liberty but have some real players at the skill positions and Cutler does a nice job, they have to get over the Davidson hump which i feel will be hard with Davidson's experience.

9} Liberty } Roderick loss hurts , have momentum and a solid program that has elevated no question but while I think there is a razor thin difference between Coffman . Davidson , Orange and the Patriots , I feel the Pats lose to Davidson this year, , Coffman I think in week 8 has a good chance at home vs Davidson or a better chance than the Patriots have .

10} Olentangy - Lose a ton , have great staff including Magistro from Central , but losses along the line and defensive questions overshadow the potential of the offense?

I would expect Westy Central to move into the top 10 before long, they likely scored the most points of any 4-6 team last year, their problem was defense. Schedule easier this year (PN game not withstanding) and if they can shore up their defense a bit, had an impressive freshman team last year hinting of more good things to come.

Yes I agree Kramer , Westy C has some athletic talent and they can be as good as a few of the teams I mentioned , went to the Cofffman Westy C scrimmage last year Frosh scrimmage was going on behind the stadium on the grass field , Westy C Frosh looked good no question .

Scrimmage eve , first controlled scrimmages happen tomorrow . They are pretty much all in the morning away from most fans eyes so I would appreciate any Pick C posters who may go tomorrow to the Coffman Toledo CC- Pick C three-way giving a brief synopsis of the action.

I believe One Tiger said he was able to go last year. I can't go so if he does, hopefully he will give us a report of some kind . It isn't anything that is definitive or that important of course but I would obviously be interested in seeing what transpires. So in advance THANKS to anyone can provide any info.

Another annual feature of the pre-season in addition to scrimmages is the nice feature 'Going Campin" in the Dispatch . We all look for them to feature the program we support and root for and sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. Also included is a brief interview of coaches and or players .

Davidson had one and it included a push to get back to the play-offs as they missed for only the second time in many many years last season. Coach White lamented the lack of size and talent and made the points that his squad had to embrace fully taking care of things they can control . Things such as getting rest , eating right , hydrating properly in addition to their fundamentally sound brand of running the ball and keeping the defense off of the field . He didn't mention that but I inserted it because it's an obvious mind set each year.

White was somewhat optimistic his team would be much more experienced and perform at a higher level than last year, but that his team didn't have the same material to work with as many of his opponents . Fair enough , but I feel his team isn't as small as he is letting on .

Coffman was featured as well and it was a nice piece that featured the hard work done by the players in the off-season as D-Coordinator and right hand man Crager runs the strength and conditioning aspect of the program . From all accounts and evidence he has done an outstanding job as he has done with the defense in his tenure. As I was alluding to in the winter and off-season some guys had to get leaner and lose weight and gain quickness and some had to get bigger and stronger and it seems that a nice group of players did just that .

Cardio fitness also looks good. While watching the soccer World Cup I found it interesting that England's manager talked about getting ideas from other sports when he was training his team. His example was watching an NBA game where he noticed the pick and rolls and ball screens that are so prevalent in today's NBA gam that free up shooters for open three point shots.

His England team really benefitted and prospered making the Semi finals with set pieces being a huge reason they got to that point. Their set pieces on corner kicks and free kicks included some of the same type of picks and screens that NBA teams employ . In fact there was a record amount of goals scored off of set pieces in this World Cup .

So I recently watched on you tube last years really interesting six part special on legendary hall of fame coach Bob Hurley and his St. Anthony's high school basket all team as they played in their final year as a school and a program.

I recommend going to you tube and typing in Bob Hurley and showtime , and watchin the 2 hour 6 part series . He is an Old school's old school coach and in no way would get away with his style at a Public school . But in a small catholic school that he basically runs , he does. Great coach incredibly demanding but could be demeaning as well which i believe was a flaw.

Great technician and motivator and helped a lot of kids. I also recommend watching the documentary about Hurley and his program called 'The Street stops here" which is a phrase that is etched on the wall as you enter the school . The book the 'Miracle of St Anthony's is also outstanding chronicling the 2003-2004 season .

Anyway Hurley kind of mimicked the Coffman mindset I believe in a way as his basic philosophy of defense is relentless pressure speed and harassment , playing with energy and being in great enough shape to play that way for as long as possible throughout the game. Also emphasizing help defense and proper positioning { Alignment } . And on offense he simply said '" SMOOTH WITH PACE ", which to me kind of describes how Coffman wants to attack with a combo up temp style c. with attention to smooth execution .

UCLA'S BB Legend John Wooden's axiom 'Be quick but don't hurry " is a perfect way to describe 'Smooth with pace" description of offense.

I saw that parallel with the way Coffman wants to play defense and execute their offense .

Really humid day , all players should be heavily hydrating this evening as some including Davidson and Coffman prepare for their first scrimmages tomorrow . Davidson vs. Jerome and Coffman vs. the aforementioned defending D-1 State champ Pick C and D-2 power Toledo CC.

Wayne for instance grabs a left tackle and the McKelvey kid along with Trotwoods Senior QB for instance . Seems unfair , Pick North is loaded on offense but ahs no QB volia they get their Gahanna 'Loaner" back and it's all good as he was once theirs as a frosh? Like a powerful professional club soccer team who loans their younger players to lesser talented teams or teams that have an opening in a certain players position for a couple seasons to get reps because they aren't ready to start for their team yet.

What are you talking about. Wayne's QB is a 3 year starter at Wayne and has always been there. Wayne lost a player to Trotwood as well had kids transfer to Springfield, Princeton, and Pick North. If you are talking about the kid from way back he got thrown under the bus at his old school and left the next day. Centerville is the school that gets the transfers now.... they had back to back transfer in QB's of late but because they cannot win in the playoffs no one talks about them....I know Coffman has had some QB transfers as well.... come on man, I know Wayne put a huge beat down on Coffman the last time they played but come on.... Coffman wanted nothing to do with Wayne for a regular season game and I just don't get it.

Vamps was talking a FEW YEARS BACK .Yes mighty Wayne always crushes Coffman is a better community better players better people and what can Isay you are a heck of poster . So everyone out HERE, Wayne is the Sheet lol.

Seriously you think I don't know the make-up of teams year to year to year? You got DeWeaver the big tackle and McKelvey in the same year a few years back didn't you?

You went to State final in 2014 , beating Coffman in round two, the only reason that happened in round two in what was a nice match was you lost to Centerville a team you were much better than in a rain and wind storm and turned it over a half dozen times { This is off the top of my head so my apologies if not 100 percent accurate } , you went to the state final and lost.

The next year you had DeWeaver come over along with the Running back and the huge left tackle whose name escapes me{ Jackson?} that's what I was referring to NOT THIS YEARS TEAMS, the talk was a general one about how transfers paly a role and I did mention that Coffman has kids who have transferred as has UA. PC PN et al .

I won't argue about scale of transfers the last 20 years because I think that goes to another place . Coffman and others have also LOST kids who move away or open enroll , quit or leave in another capacity. Part of the gig.

That's what we are hoping someone can tell us who went. Tough to get to an early morning mid week scrimmage unless you are on vacation for most folks, Saturday's and night scrimmages are more doable. I haven't talked to anyone who went.

Hopefully Rocks did better than last year although it's always a win when you play teams like PC and TCC being pushed by talented strong teams benefits you in some way .

Crazy busy this week , won't be in town until Saturday afternoon after the DeSales scrimmage which I have gone to the last three years , always a hard hitting competitive affair and I'll miss seeing them go at it this year.

Also if anyone has the skinny on the scrimmage I haven't been able to find out . No big deal really good talent and even if having a hard time against those great programs always a good learning experience . It's all about getting better each day and each week at this point , they will look better on Saturday than they did Tuesday and then next Thursday vs. Westy Central better yet again I am sure .

Two weeks until opening night, most start Friday of course but it's pretty much here the season smell is wafting .

So early but thanks I did hear that TCC was really good , they have a real AAU type team up there, athletes size speed everywhere. Not that PC takes a back seat to most folks in the above mentioned traits, PC in somewhat rebuild mode in some areas , TCC by accounts is primed, Coffman has some talent and will be a work in progress in the front seven and at QB with first year starter but a Senior .

This isn't basketball , really good Teams don't fall off much even if a really good player doesn't dress. That's the baseball player , not saying he isn't a horse but they have many in that greater Toledo stable.